26 Apr 2017

13 Reasons Why // My Thoughts

Here we go, another day and another blog post about that Nextflixshow that everyone is talking about... I mean it's great that people are talking about a show that has such a deep meaning to it, but there has been a mixture of opinions that are both positive and negative. I thought I'd share my thoughts about 13 Reasons Why and why I think it's a pretty great show for people today.

I heard a lot about this show through Twitter and thought I knew what to expect but BOY.. was I wrong! The show itself is very real. I mean I couldn't compare it to every aspect of my life but there were a few moments when it really hit home. Here are some of my thoughts and opinions on the show.

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BULLYING

It seems that pretty much everyone has been through bullying at some point in their lives. Yet, people still do it to other people not realising what effect it can have on them. Bullying can encourage the victim to shut themselves away from everyone. They can become depressed and it can raise a lot of other mental health issues and inevitably could lead to them committing suicide.

This all presented itself in the show through the characters and demonstrates what consequences a 'small' comment in the corridor could mean or a note passed around the class or even a photo that is distributed through the school. It really makes you think about your actions, what you could've potentially done to others and what could happen to that person because of you.

Cyberbullying is something that I've also experienced alongside physical and emotional bullying and let me tell you, it is probably the worst. You never know who is hiding behind the screen. You don't know why they want to hurt you. You just don't know why they've picked you.

I think the show picked up on this factor a little and implemented bullying well in terms of when photos were circulated through messages or online or just generally when horrible things are spread around. You get to see the aftermath and how it effects the people who are being bullied, whether that means harming themselves, having anxiety issues, becoming depressed and eventually committing suicide.

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SEXUAL ASSAULT

This topic is a touchy subject for many and understandably so. It is a topic that is uncomfortable to see, hear about and be a victim of. The show presented several forms of sexual violence and assault including groping and rape. After watching 13 Reasons Why: Beyond The Reasons, it was obvious that this is a topic that no one, not even the producers, directors, writers, actors etc, were comfortable with. They wanted to get across how it feels to be a victim of sexual assault and when you see the characters faces and actions so empty and broken, it shows. It somehow demonstrates the emotion and thoughts of the victims.

I think it is important to show how girls can often be 'victim-blamed' if they get sexually assaulted. It's easy to point the finger and say "she was wearing a short skirt, she decided to drink alcohol, she didn't say no" and Katherine Langford (Hannah) talks about how we should start thinking in the opposite way... "Why is he doing this? Why didn't he ask permission? Why does he think it's okay?". And too right, these questions should be raised more often because as this show has proven, it is probably very difficult to do anything in that situation as a victim.

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MENTAL HEALTH

The show touched upon areas of mental health issues including anxiety and depression. It doesn't go too into depth about some of the characters' experiences with these mental illnesses but it does introduce the concept being an issue amongst young people. I think this is a positive step towards opening up the boundaries and speaking up about taboo issues that effect students and young people today.

All I thought about whilst watching the characters whilst they were listening to their tapes was "why didn't you help her". It literally happened with each and every character on those tapes. And when Hannah said something along the lines of "Some of you care. None of you cared enough", it hit me.

People who don't suffer from a mental illness probably don't realise that sometimes all it takes for you to make someone with anxiety, depression or whatever else, feel better is to just say: Hey, how are you? Or just by being there for them, listening to them, distracting them, hanging out with them. Just taking their mind away from everything that is affecting them. It's that easy to make someone feel cared about. A simple message to make them realise that you care and you are thinking about them. Or even a call to remind them that you are there for them. Or even arranging to hang out once in a while, whether that means to make extra effort outside or school, uni or work etc.

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SUICIDE

I wouldn't know how to live with myself if I knew I was responsible for being one of the reasons that someone has committed suicide. Some of the characters that experience this in the show are just teenagers and they had to deal with a lot of things. Hannah felt alone enough to kill herself and was unable to ask for help when she felt depressed. Perhaps this was because she didn't want to be a burden to others or make everything about her or even make others feel bad... but the point is that she did try to show she was distressed and broken but no one was brave enough to listen and put the pieces together.

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Overall, I thought the show was good. There were some flaws and obviously Hannah isn't supposed to be the 'good' character. Her actions were debatable (i.e.: making the tapes in order to make those involved feel bad). However, it does present an idea to adults of what being a teenager is like. It shows how small things can effect your everyday life. It shows how easy it is to be swallowed up by bullying and mental health issues. It shows how easy it is for someone to commit suicide.

Things I'll be taking away with me from watching 13 Reasons Why:
Ask people how they are genuinely doing.
Talk to your friends.
Think before you speak.
Reconsider your actions before actually doing them.
Be kind to people.
Be there for your friends.

Just be mindful.You never know what's going through someones mind and what's going on in their lives.
What are your thoughts on 13 Reasons Why?

I watched this recently and overall I did think it was very well-done, though on the flip side I can see how it might have glamourised suicide to young/impressionable teenagers, so I have quite conflicting feelings!